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Macaron Tutorial

Monday, March 16, 2009

Discombobulated...New favorite word. It's always a bit of a struggle getting things organized with long term guests but there has been a lot of good work getting done. A lot of good meals and good times too. My parents are happily relaxing, talking walks in town, going to the beach, reading,.. with no particular agenda or schedule. Even the pupps are learning "discombulated". There is no telling who is going to walk them, feed them, play with them. All they know is that there are 4 more hands to pet them. Bliss...

Even here it is bit "sans queue ni tete", posting the raspberry mousse tarts with pink macarons before posting about the macarons first. Indeed, a couple days after my parents arrived I made a small batch of pink macarons to go along with a verrine of Meyer lemon curd and chamomille - vanilla bean mousse. Then with the leftover macarons, I made the tarts. I think the mud cake cookie sandwiches were in their right place though. Imagine that!! See...discombobulated again.

With one celiac at home right now, there have been a lot of cremes brulee, cremes caramel, macarons and mousses for desserts. Gluten does sneak everywhere but so far I have been able to keep everybody's sweet tooth happy and healthy. We love citrus. We love colors. We love Spring. I especially love yellow if it is in the form of lemon curd. I am not sure Meyer lemons will be around here much longer so I have been juicing, zesting and freezing away!

Meyer lemons always have a slight cardamom note to me and the curd was very aromatic on its own, but took on a whole other dimension when layered with silky smooth mousse. The mousse itself starts with a pate a bombe which is lightly infused with chamomille leaves and vanilla bean seeds and lighten with some whipped cream. My lovely sister in law sent over a bottle of violet sugar pearls that I sprinkled on top of the verrines. It added a wonderful light flowery Spring note to the verrine and I am looking forward to using it again.

In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine the lemon juice, zest and sugar and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to make sure the sugar is dissolved. In the meantime, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl just until combined. Once the lemon mixture is hot, slowly pour it over the eggs to temper, continuously whisking to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the pan set over medium low heat and cook until thick. Do not let it come to a full boil or it might separate. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and whisk until it is fully melted. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and the salt. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water, and let it sit while you make the syrup base of the mousse.Combine the sugar, chamomille leaves and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a rapid boil over medium high heat (prevents crystallization of the sugar on the side of the pan). Once the syrup comes to a boil, uncover and cook until the mixture reaches 238F.Strain the leaves over a container with a spout, it will be easier to add to the yolks. Pour the syrup slowly and into a steady stream into the egg yolks with the machine running on medium high. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 10 seconds or until dissolved. Add it to the yolk mixture along with the seeds from the vanilla bean and continue to whisk on medium high until it triples in volume and cools to room temperature.In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add it to the mousse base and fold the two gently together. Pour the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (I use Ateco #807).Layer the Meyer lemon curd and the mousse in jars or ramekins and refrigerate if not eaten right away.

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I almost forgot...My mom agreed to be a guest blogger here. Yeah! She is however hesitating on what to make. So, which recipe would you like her to make: her famous "ratatouille" or a tart?

Discombobulated...what an interesting word Helen! It's expresses so much all at once LOL! That dessert is all Spring, colour, citrus...& PRETTY! What fun to have mum as a guest blogger...ratatouille,tart,ratatouille,tart,ratatouille,tart...both? xoxo

i love chammomile tea so I must love that vanilla and chamomile verrine.. they look so delicate and delicious... and those sugar pearls are the perfect touch! wonderful.. and hope your mom could do a tart!

That violet sugar is the perfect touch! Beautiful spring colors you have here - and flavors too. Glad that the puppies are not neglected :) Now I'm stumped... I want to see your mom make both recipes, but if I had to choose one it would be the ratatouille - especially if it is famous!

My grandmother's lemon pie is a work of culinary brilliance, and this reminds me so much of that--without the crust, of course. As always, beautiful photos and amazing recipes. I can hardly wait to get back to the states to try them out!

These are really lovely. We've had Meyer lemons in the stores for a while now but our small Meyer lemon tree is holding out for warmer weather -- there are lots of wee green lemons on it. I'm looking forward to weeks of lemony goodness!

Everything looks wonderful, as usual! :) I hope your mom would make her famous Ratatouille, though, I'm sure no one would mind if she had the time to make both!! :P Ever since we watch Disney's Ratatouille, my kids have asked if I could some day make that for them! ;)

Lovely photos and what a beautiful combination of flavours too! How lovely to have your mum as a guest blogger, I like the sound of both the ratatouille and tart... I'll wait patiently to see what is chosen :)

Ahhh, doesn't she have time for both . . . oh how rude can you be Tanna? Either would be lovely Helen and will send many hugs. . . Discombobulated is a very expressive word and one that fits my house to a T right now.Love these lemon yellow and violets!!

Thank you Caprice for the link! I am already eyeing the candied mimosa! What I used was a bit different though. It was pearl sugar, infused in violet extract and died purple. My sister in law said she finds it at Leclerc in France.

Oh, Helen, what about both??!! I love sweets but a woman can only stand to that much temptation after seeing Pixar's Ratatouille, and witnessing that amazing vegetable dish in its animated glory, I've been wanting to make one, but couldn't trust just any recipe out there. I want to see them both!

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Beautiful and delicious-looking as always. Where on earth did you get those adorable jars? You make me want to have some of my own! I love small desserts and I can think of so many things they'd be perfect for.

hi Helen~i have tried this product, but i get some question..1. the lemon juice is direct heat it? i tried it but it didn't become thick. thn i try double boil it, finally it become thick.2. the chamomille leaves is 1/4 cup right..?i think the taste is quite strong..i try to decrease it to 2 tbsp, is better^^